Healing Anxiety by Living Your Truth, with Martha Beck

In this gripping memoir, Immaculée Ilibagiza recounts her harrowing experience surviving the Rwandan genocide. For 91 days, she and seven other women hid in a small bathroom of a local pastor's house while machete-wielding killers hunted for them. During this ordeal, she discovered the power of prayer, shed her fear of death, and forged a profound relationship with God. The book highlights her journey through unspeakable terror, her discovery of unconditional love, and her ability to forgive her family's killers. It is a testament to the human spirit's resilience, the transformative power of faith and forgiveness, and the importance of finding peace amid chaos.

On December 10, 1996, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist, suffered a rare form of stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. This event led to a complete deterioration of her cognitive functions within four hours, yet she alternated between the logical left brain and the intuitive right brain, experiencing euphoria and a sense of complete well-being. The book chronicles her eight-year recovery and the profound insights she gained into the brain's functioning and the potential for inner peace. Taylor's experience has been widely acclaimed, including a viral TED talk and recognition as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2008.

In *Beyond Anxiety*, Dr. Martha Beck addresses the rising epidemic of anxiety and explains how our brains get stuck in an 'anxiety spiral. ' She provides simple, powerful exercises to reduce anxiety immediately and introduces the concept of a 'creativity spiral' to engage different parts of the nervous system. This approach not only shuts down anxiety but also leads to innovative problem solving, a sense of meaning and purpose, and joyful connections with others and the world.